Although systems for decontaminating earth are known, such as shown in:
Ridgeway U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,555 issued Feb. 4, 1969 in Class 210/170
Dietz U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,607 issued Dec. 21, 1971 in Class 166/305
neither of these patents discloses a closed system involving pressurizing some of the perforated wells and simultaneously evacuating adjacent other perforated wells for increasing the transfer of the flushing liquid through the soil between the two perforated wells or pipes.
Apparatus and systems for pressurizing and sucking wells connected to manifolds are known as disclosed in:
Pfeiffer, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 842,696 issued Jan. 29, 1907 in Class 166/52
Wolf U.S. Pat. No. 2,115,379 issued Apr. 26, 1938 in Class 166/52
Gunderson U.S. Pat. No. 2,352,832 issued July 4, 1944 in Class 166/268
Reijonen et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,533 issued Mar. 14, 1972 in Class 210/170.
Only the Wolf patent above discloses a closed system, but it relys on quickly changing the pressure and vacuum ducts for loosening the oil and does not employ a flushing fluid.
Suction wells with plural branch ducts are also well known as shown in the following U.S. patents:
Layne U.S. Pat. No. 1,286,666 issued Dec. 3, 1918 in Class 166/268
Newton et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,301,073 issued Nov. 3, 1942 in Class 405/36
Culleton U.S. Pat. No. 2,654,434 issued Oct. 6, 1953 in Class 166/52
Schnabel, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,135 issued Sept. 19, 1967 in Class 166/52
Wilkerson U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,190 issued Dec. 15, 1970 in Class 55/194
However, none of these systems employ simultaneous pressurizing and evacuating adjacent walls or ducts.
Also, pressurized wells have been connected to manifold ducts as disclosed in:
Spindler U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,371 issued Oct. 6, 1931 in Class 166/258
Clark U.S. Pat. No. 2,034,798 issued Mar. 24, 1936 in Class 166/52
Bergstrom U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,404 issued Oct. 9, 1962 in Class 166/52
Schoenfeld et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,435 issued Jan. 17, 1967 in Class 166/52
but none of these references apply vacuum also to adjacent wells.
Although there are many other patents showing pressurized wells, none of these employ positive vacuum or evacuating means on adjacent wells thereto, not to mention a specific flushing fluid also.
Previously, areas which have been contaminated by spills have often had to be completely dug away and the removed earth placed in a location in which the contamination would not affect the surrounding ecology and/or inhabitants in accordance with the strict rules of the United States Government Environmental Protection Agency. Thus, not only is it important that the area that becomes contaminated from a spill be decontaminated, but that when it is decontaminated, that the material removed is stored or disposed of in a proper manner. Thus, the less flushing liquid which is used and has to be disposed of later, the more economical is the decontaminating system.